President’s Budget Would Put College Further Out of Reach for Many

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, President Trump released his Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) “skinny” budget which proposes $1.5 trillion in war funding alongside a 10 percent cut in domestic spending. The proposal would gut evidence-based programs that increase college graduation rates, slash funding for minority-serving institutions, and further hobble the Education Department’s ability to administer programs on which millions of students rely. However, Friday’s budget does call on Congress to at least maintain the current maximum Pell Grant award, in contrast to the White House’s FY26 proposal to slash the award.

If signed into law, the proposal would:

• Cut Education Department funding by $3.2 billion while calling for the Department to be “on a path to elimination”
• Eliminate funding for TRIO, GEAR UP, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), and the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program
• Eliminate funding for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) program, including the Postsecondary Success Grant Program (PSSG) and Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students grant program
• Eliminate funding for Minority-Serving Institutions
• Slash funding for the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program by 90 percent (from $1.236 billion to $123 million)
• Provide funding that the administration projects would be sufficient to maintain the current maximum Pell Grant at $7,395 for the 2027-28 award year

The following statement is attributed to Jessica Thompson, Interim President and Executive Vice President at TICAS:

“A college degree remains our nation’s greatest social mobility tool. However, this budget request would suppress college access and defund effective higher education programs that have long had bipartisan support.

“While we appreciate the administration’s proposal to shore up Pell Grant funding, it comes alongside harmful plans to slash successful programs including the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), TRIO, and GEAR UP, eliminate support for Minority-Serving Institutions, and dismantle the Education Department.

“If passed, the president’s budget would put a college degree—and middle-class life—further out of reach for millions. Congress must reject these proposed cuts and instead reaffirm its commitment to educational opportunity and economic mobility for all.”